I'm counting on you all! :)

[Lopo]

I just bought my first RV after finding this forum so I figure I’d better own up to lurking! I don’t have it yet, but the seller is delivering it to me today, and frankly, although I’m excited during the day, I have been waking up in the nights with near panic, wondering what I’ve gotten myself into!

I live on Anna Maria Island, on Florida's Gulf coast. My husband and I owned a small resort motel here for many years. I always thought I would have a “whole new life” after we sold it, but life doesn’t always happen as you think it will - with aging parents, grandsons being born, etc. My hubby and I also own a house in Yucatan, Mexico, and I've spent a lot of time on the road in Mexico and Central America (minus an RV), but there's a lot of my own country I haven't seen. I really want to just spend some time on the road, with no time schedule. Hubby has his own RV, an old class A Winnie that he loves, so we travel separately most of the time because he’s been in a wheelchair for 50 years and has a guy who works full-time for him, and, well, you can imagine that it's a bit too cozy in that RV for me.

This past winter I bought a very small vintage trailer, and found the Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum, but no amount of support (and they are a fantastic group, too) could make me good with tools or give me the upper body strength that handling even that 10' seemed to demand. So I decided to "go to the Dark Side" and get an RV with a motor! I'm easing into this with an older 20’ class C Coachmen Catalina that I just bought on ebay. Friends and family ask when I’m leaving and where I’m going; I only know that it will involve as little interstate highway as I can manage, and it will be westward. I've done long road trips, but never with an RV, and have never camped in my life so I am going to count on all of you a lot, I expect! When I found this forum, I e-mailed my sister, “Now I can do it because I’ve found a group of women RV'ers who will be there when I need them!” So if you're going to kick me out, please warn me before I hit the road.

Lopo (my official name is Lois, but my friends call me Lopo, Lo, or Loie)

[mitch5252]

..

Welcome, Lopo - you have, indeed, found a GREAT Forum. Sounds like you have a ton of excitement hovering around you in the near (and far) future!!! How exciting. And you just ask away...you'll always get plenty of, and diverse, answers.

We'll look forward to getting to know you better!

[WickedLady]

Hi, Lopo, and welcome to the forum. There are lots of us scattered around the country for you to meet. Just let us know where you are going. Ask anything anytime and we will try to give you good answers.

[avalen]

welcome Lopo, yep, you have indeed found the right place. Looking forward to your adventures, even the ones you didn't intend on. Those are usually
the most hair raising if not funny later.

[linann]

Welcome to the group, Lopo, and congratulations on your purchase. Many of us also have "new to us" RVs.

Check out the FL GTG under the Get Together link. It has pulled together nicely for January 2013 at Hillsborough River State Park. Join us; it's not too far from Anna Maria Island!

[Sandersmr]

Welcome Lopo! I hope you have many miles of enjoyable travel!

[Dawn309]

Welcome Lopo. I second the invitation to join us at the Florida GTG in January. Be sure and ask any question. I do! I will be heading out on the road soon and I definitely will be leaning on all these wonderful ladies. Hope you have many wonderful adventures!

[Lopo]

Thanks, Everyone. Well, it's sitting in my driveway, and I'm kind of blown away. Going from fixing up a little vintage trailer to this, even at only 20', is blowing my mind. And what to do about curtains, for example, that are hanging on special RV hardware. I figured I'd make new, but how do you replace/hang the divider one that's attached to the ceiling? Why do I do this? I want to hit the road but keep ending up with projects!

[ellenw]

Welcome Lopo! I'm new too. And aren't the projects at least a third of the fun? I'm thinking maybe asking the questions and working on the projects will bond you with your little Catalina faster than simple map planning could do.

Have you named her/him? Any animals traveling with you?

[Acadianmom]

Welcome to the forum. There are probably as many kinds of curtains as there are different rv's. The curtain in the cab of my motorhome has plastic tabs that run on a metal track. I found some of the tabs at one of the rv supply sites online when I was looking for something else. Post a picture of what you have and I bet someone can find what you need.

Martha

[carold]

Welcome! We're not too far from each other. tGM (Bob) and I retired (Tampa) in 05 and have been on the road since. We winter in Sarasota but are here now for about a month before we leave for a "beach" trip around FL. Love Anna Maria. Pm me and maybe we can sneak in a visit before we leave. You just gotta love this group. Notice the FL gtg in January! carold

[Lopo]

Thanks, Martha, for the offer of help if I take photos. That's what we did on the vintage Shasta forum, and someone always knew something!

And Ellen, I wish so much I still had my Shih Tzu, Louie, who was a great companion on my many drives back and forth through Mexico, but I lost him a couple of years ago, and I am resisting getting another pet because every so often I need to fly to the Yucatan, and because of many issues with flying a dog into some place that's sooo hot, etc. etc., I would have to have a very small dog that would fit under the seat in front of me, and that space gets smaller every time I fly, it seems.

[cpatinjones]

Hello and welcome.

[Travelinana]

Welcome Lopo, Stick with us and you'll get help, entertainment and advice on just about any subject.

[Lynn2]

Hi Lopo;
Congrats. I'm new also and finds lots of help and encouragement on this forum. I'm redoing my curtains and some other things on my new to me rv. No rv supply near me so I find most of what I need at the hardware store, picture what I want an item to do and go hunting and adapt. Have fun!
CLynn